Back Home
by Iwasallwoah
Summary: Gabriella Montez moved away 5 years ago, but when she comes back home to her best friend, Troy Bolton, will there be more or will things be different? [Troyella]
1. Americas Most Corny Fathers

**Hey all! I wanted to write another story, because I had an idea…so here. Let's see if you all like it, and if you do, I'll continue. If not, this is gonna go in the one shot pile. :) xoxo R & R if you like it!!**

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_"Promise me one thing," He said, looking as deeply into her eyes as an 11 year old boy could._

_"What?" She asked, her eyes widening. _

_"You won't get a new best friend," He'd said._

_"How could I?" She'd asked, giggling, and spit swearing on it. They'd hugged, and then she'd left for home. She'd skipped off into the distance…_

"AH!" 16 year old junior Troy Bolton yelped leaping awake from the same dream he'd been having since he was 11, and Gabriella Montez had moved to New York with her Dad after her parent's messy divorce. "Christ, Troy. It's been more than 5 years, get over yourself," He mumbled as he got out of his bed and flipped on the light switch, he noticed the clock. 4:29 AM. _Crap, _he thought, _tomorrow will NOT be good_. He stumbled into his attached bathroom that he shared with his sister, Izzy (Or Isabelle to those in the family), who was 2 years younger than him, and a freshmen at East High. He looked at himself in the mirror, as he leaned on the sink counter, letting the water run cold. He splashed a little on his face, and then turned it off, patting his face dry with a towel. He clicked off the bathroom light, and went back into his room and jiggled the mouse of his sleeping computer, which instantly jolted awake, requesting his password. 'Gabs702' he typed, the 7 standing for July, and the 02 standing for the year Gabriella had left. His screen flashed on, and an e-mail window popped up to reveal he had 4 new messages. One was from his best friend, Chad, which he deleted, knowing it was a chain letter, since Chad never actually e-mailed anyone with the exception of the chains sent to him by his older sister, and another from his other friend Jason, which he kept to read for later. The last 2 e-mails were the ones he was looking for. From the screen name '**gabi--OOH--ellahh--xoxo**'. He clicked on the first one, smiling as it opened. He read carefully, for fear of missing even a little word.

_Hey Troy! _

_What's going on?? Well, here's a New York update. I'M COMING BACK TO LIVE WITH LA MADRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know, I told you it MIGHT happen, but its official!! (Details to come later…since Dad told me about 15 minutes ago, with the whole 'it's going to be much better for you bun, living with your mother, and being with all of your old friends. It's not that I don't love having you here anymore, but my job has been getting so crazy since the big promotion' speech…it was classic. I wish I could have taped it and sent it into Americas Most Corny Fathers…but anyway.) AH!!!!!!!!!! I'm sooo excited!! I haven't seen Mom since her last visit, about a month ago, but you know that's totally not the reason I'm excited. I mean, I love Mom and all, but honestly, how could I not be more excited to see:: TROY! MY BEST FRIEND! Cause:: I'M GOING TO SCHOOL WITH YOU!! AND CHAD!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! I HAVEN'T SEEN BOTH OF YOU TOGETHER SINCE I LEFT! Why am I shouting? Anyway, I haven't been back to Albuquerque since the whole mess, as you know,(even though I've seen you about 15 million times, cause you can't stay away from ME, can you Bolton?! Hahaha, actually, I believe the exact words were "I just can't stay away from this city, it has all the things I love in it." And I KNOW you were talking about your oh so spectacular bestest buddy a.k.a. me, but you covered it up by saying "I mean, you can't find Papaya Dog in Albuquerque, can you?" LIAR! Hehehe) and I'm so excited, because I get to be home again…AH! Home! With my friends! I know I have a few friends here, but I really don't anymore. It was just some thing…not important. But now, I'm coming home And I know, you're asleep, cause Its like…1 AM there, but since it's only 10ish here, but I had to tell you now at this VERY second. Stupid basketball, you go to bed so early because of it. :P just kidding! Hahaha. So I guess I'll let you go do whatever you were doing…Call me so we can be excited together!! YAY! YAY! YAYYYYYYYYYY later gator:) love Gabs (who is going psycho, SHE'S MOVING BACK HOME! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!) _

Troy read the e-mail twice, and then got up, shocked. He grabbed his cell phone from his night table, and then he stared at the computer to read Gabriella's second email. He clicked it, willing it to open faster. Once he had it open, he read it faster than the first one, but still carefully.

_El Senor Bolton (A.K.A. Troy Troy Basketball Boy A.K.A. my bestest friend EVER)_

_Okay, I couldn't sleep. It's like 4:25 AM at the moment with you, and its 1:25 with me. You're either asleep or…asleep. There's no way you're up. I'm just soo excited! I get to come to Albuquerque in a week, and all my stuff will be coming a few days later. YAY! I start school the Monday after I get there, (ahem I come this upcoming Wednesday! WHOO! I got a few details after I sent the last e-mail, when I went to go talk to my Dad and assure him that I would miss him very much, but I agreed with his reasoning, blah blah blah…it was too boring to relay, and when he ruffled my hair I could tell he sort of wished I was a boy who would _appreciate_ that, because I fully didn't…ah whatever) which will be soo soo soo cool cause you know I'll remember everyone. Okay, not EVERYONE, and it's not like they'll remember me, but that's okay, cause I'll have you and Chad and the basketball guys…I miss all of you all sooo much. (I am, after all, the ex, soon to be reinstated-Wildcat's number one fan…hahaha, but I barely know any of the other guys, aside from you Chad and Jason…and Zeke, but I don't know him that well…) Especially you, Troy. I know, it's only been like, 2 months since we saw each other, when you came to visit for that little bit… But I still miss you like crazy. I have like, two friends. Someone ahem, that evil girl, Sara that I told you about, who's been out to get me since…oh, I don't know, the day I started at JKPHS, which I will only have to attend for 2 more days since I don't have to go in next week at all, because I have to "pack", which isn't really the truth, I'll just be running to all my favorite places for one last little shopping spree on account of dear old Daddy who wishes I was a boy, ahem said I did something that is totally untrue here (Don't ask on e-mail, I'll tell you when I get to see you in person Mr. Nosy), and all my friends believed her. Only Callie and Amanda stayed with me. ( but that's okay, cause I have you!! My best friend no matter what. ) Alrighty then, I've poured to you, and now I'm going to go e-mail Mom for details…Later:) Love Gabs_

Troy acted without thinking. He picked up his cell phone, and dialed the number that was as familiar to him as his own phone number.

"Hello?" a voice asked from the other line.

"GABS!"

"Troy?! What are you doing up? It's almost 5 in the morning in Albuquerque." Gabriella asked, in a concerned voice. Troy rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes," she said, knowing that he _was_ rolling his eyes at her, even if she wasn't in the room.

"What are you, in my closet?" he asked.

"Nah, I just can read you like a book," she said, and yawned inaudibly. "OH MY GOD, DID YOU READ MY E-MAILS?!" She asked, realizing what he could possibly calling for.

"Yes! I'm so happy that you're coming back, Gabs," Troy said. Troy's father, Jack, had always said that girls and boys couldn't be friends without romance getting in the way, and when Gabriella moved away, he had said it was probably for the best, because the two were getting to the age where boys and girls "became attractive to one another", as he so eloquently put it. Troy had said that was a load of BS, and had proved this to his father by visiting Gabriella on his own most of his school vacations when he started at East High, and talked to her on the phone almost every day since she had moved. Now, he looked around his room, there were clothes everywhere, basketball trophies on his dresser, and lamps resting on the night tables on either side of his bed, which was a mess of tangled sheets and a balled up comforter. Where he was sitting, at his desk, was covered in papers, glasses (mostly empty), and random things, like coins, unused electrical wires (he had no clue what they connected), and remotes to the many consoles in the entertainment center on another wall. Then, it sank in. _Gabs is coming home. Coming to me._ He thought, smiling.

In her room, Gabriella sat up in her bed, smiling into the phone. She was happy Troy had called her, because in a few more moments, she would have gotten up and e-mailed him again. She couldn't sleep, she was too excited. As Troy babbled in her ear about how excited he was to see her, and that things would go back to normal finally, Gabriella felt a twang of pain. She knew things wouldn't go entirely back to normal, in fact, they'd be completely different from when she had lived in Albuquerque. She had been 11 then, and 11 and 16 were worlds apart in maturity level…She pushed back the pain, which was tiny compared to her happiness and all around bubbly-ness of the moment, and when it came back a few hours later, as she drifted between asleep and awake, she thought _No, Gabs, it won't be the same. It'll be better._ And she knew, deep down, it would.

**6 days later…**

"Almost all packed, _mija_?" Gabriella's father, Antonio asked from the other room. Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully, she'd been packed for three days already, and her father had made a point of asking her twice already, and she had made a point of answering 'Almost! Just a few more things!' So she could leave her room's phone set up until they left. "It's time to go, Gabby, we have to get to JFK now if we're going to make your flight! Let's get out of here, grab your computer, unplug your phone, and let's go!" Antonio said, popping his head into Gabriella's room.

"Alright Daddy," Gabriella said, unplugging her phone and watching her Dad leave. She plugged the phone back in, and within seconds, it rang.

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**What do you think? R & R if you like it and dont want to see it go:)**


	2. I Love This Place

**Hey guys!! Thanks for the reviews on this story!! Here's an update :**

**Disclaimer: HSM isn't mine…sadly enough…. **

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Gabriella grabbed the phone as fast as she could, "Hello?" She breathed, hoping it would be who she wanted it to be. 

"Hey! I wanted to catch you before you left." Troy said, sounding happy that he'd reached her. She smiled.

"Well," she said, "Here I am. I was actually hoping you'd call, but I was just about to unplug the phone and pack it up."

"Ah, I have good timing then?" He grinned into the phone, "I wanted to know what time your flight gets in tomorrow, so I know when to get to the airport." Gabriella had asked him to pick her up, because her Mom was on a business trip.

"I think I get in…at about…12 tomorrow. Wait. It's 6 AM here, Troy! You're up at 3 in the morning?! What are you doing?" Gabriella said, sounding very mother-like.

"Well, Mom," Troy began, but started laughing before he could finish. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I get in around 12, so maybe you could take the day off, and come to get your oldest best friend?" Gabriella asked, sounding hopeful. When she heard Troy say yes, she started twirling a hair around her index finger. She looked around her empty room, various boxes stacked and labeled in her cliché girly handwriting. She noticed a box that wasn't familiar to her. She got off her bare mattress, walked to the box, and opened it, reading the side. 'New Mexico' it read. She heard Troy, talking about something or other, but didn't listen, as she poked her hand in the box. She pulled out an old marble composition book, which she faintly recognized. In the box, there were 4 more books, which she pulled out, remembering. She re-sealed the box, and walked to her bed.

"Right, Gabs?" Troy asked, finishing his thought.

"Mhmm," Gabriella answered fakely, knowing Troy would peg her on it, but she didn't care. "Guess what I just found," She said, flipping through the old, worn pages.

"…Your attention span?" Troy guessed sarcastically.

"No, you loser," she said, laughing. "I was going to tell you, but now I guess you'll just have to wait until I see you. I'm going to torture you, Bolton, because this one, is GOOD."

"But, Gabby! I thought we were brothers!!" He said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well we obviously aren't now. I'll see you tomorrow!!" Gabriella said, and hung up. She looked down at the book in her hands. Her and Troy had shared composition books in the beginning of sixth grade, for about 4 months until Gabriella moved away. They wrote little notes to each other, since they only had lunch period together, and handed the book they were on off to the other when they saw each other in the hallway. Gabriella looked at her messy, sixth grade scrawl, and Troy's even messier, somehow legible writing. She'd remembered putting little drawings in the margins, as she saw now, Troy had given them thoughts. One was a picture of her, wearing a hat and holding a 'Happy Birthday!' balloon. Troy had written, _Happy birthday to my best friend Gabs. Who isn't as cool as I am, but I forgive her._ Gabriella laughed openly at that one, and then shoved the books into her tote, for her to carry on the plane. She wanted to read them, because even though she probably knew what they said, they were part of a history with Troy that she needed to brush up on. She was going back to it.

The next day, getting off the plane… 

As Gabriella made her way slowly through the airport, looking for the baggage claim, she smiled to herself. Troy was here. TROY. Her Troy. Was HERE. And she was here too. She couldn't believe it! She was home! Finally home!! She grabbed three suitcases off the baggage claim carousel, and walked in the direction of the front doors. She was walking slowly, reading al the signs around her, when it seemed like the people stopped moving. She saw Troy, standing and looking for her, although he hadn't seen her. Then, he looked up and they locked eyes. A smile grew on Gabriella's face. She dropped the bags she was holding, and ran to him, arms outstretched. She jumped into his arms, hugging her friend as hard as she could.

"HI!!!!" She squealed, as he held her up and spun her around. She buried her face in his shoulder to take in his clean soap smell. He laughed, and put her down, still hugging her.

"Hi," He said, laughing, "Well, well, well, you're here!"

"I'm home!!!" she said happily.

"You're home!!" he said, and put her down. She grabbed his arm and led him to where she had dropped her bags, and picked them up.

"I'll take that," Troy said, snatching two of the bags from her hands. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Thanks," she said. They left the airport in comfortable silence, and got into Troy's big boat of a car.

"So, Gabs." Troy said. He looked at her while putting the car in reverse, and then focused on the road behind him. "What do you want to do? Go crash at your Mom's place, or go for a little visit to East High?"

"Let's go to East!" Gabriella squealed, having not thought of that option. As they drove, Gabriella pulled one of the composition notebooks out of her tote. When Troy was stopped at a red light, she showed him the book. "Do you remember this?"

"Oh, wow," Troy said, smiling and chuckling to him. "It's been a while, hasn't it," he said, looking at the notebook.

"A while?" Gabriella asked. "Just a _little_ while." She added sarcastically.

"Oh shush you," Troy said, ruffling her hair. He felt a tingle in his hand when he touched her. _Uh, that was weird,_ he thought. He shook off the feeling, and grabbed the book. There was something he needed to see. She giggled while trying to grab it back, but he was too quick for her. He flipped to the inside back cover, and looked at what he'd been hoping to see. '**TB & GM BFF**'it said in his bold print that he'd chased over many times when he'd been bored in class. He flipped through the book, so it wouldn't seem like that was all he was looking at, and saw many little side drawings in the margins, notes, and most likely notes for school.

"Give me that!" She squealed, and grabbed the book. She shoved it in her bag, and pulled out a little box. The light changed, and Troy turned left, onto the road where East High was located. When he parked the car, and had taken the key out of the ignition, he looked at Gabriella. She was facing him, holding the box out. "Present?"

"Ooh! Present!" Troy said, acting like he figured she would. He grabbed the box from her and slowly opened it, knowing it was killing her that he wasn't ripping the box apart like a barbarian.

"A little slower, Bolton," She laughed. He smiled at her, and opened it even slower. She growled in a fake way, and Troy pretended to be scared.

"Alright, alright. I'll open it." He ripped the top of the box off, and smiled at what he saw. It was a tiny chain with a T charm on it, in some black type of rhinestone. He noted it wasn't girly at all, it was actually very masculine. She smiled at him as he put it over his head. "Thanks, Gab," he said. They got out, and she skipped inside, with him laughing and following behind her. She pushed open one of the sections of double doors, and walked in, remembering the front hall. She remembered standing there, and watching all the bigger kids walk by, wishing and hoping one day she'd be as confident as them when they were navigating the halls.

"I love this place," She breathed, when she heard Troy come up behind her.

"Come on, let's go see your fan club." Troy laughed.

"MY fan club?" She questioned, "Who would that consist of?" Troy smiled, but instead of answering her, he picked her up, hoisted her over his shoulder, and carried her off to the Gym. "TROY BOLTON! PUT ME DOWN!!!" she giggled.

"We're almost there," he said, and pushed open the Gym's door with his foot. When he entered, he saw, as he had thought, Chad and they guys warming up. "Hey!" he yelled to the team, "Look what I found lying around!" He put Gabriella down, and she turned, facing the team, who looked on confusedly.

"GABRIELLA!!" Chad yelled, coming over. He picked her up into a hug, and she giggled, "Hey!!"

"Hey Chad!!" She said excitedly. They high-fived, like they used to when they saw each other, and laughed. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, kid!" Chad said, laughing. He tossed a basket ball to Troy, who threw it back and shook his head.

"Nah, man, we aren't staying." He said, "I want to show her around a little and then I'm getting rid of this one," Troy joked, hooking a thumb at Gabriella.

"Nice of you," she said, giggling. She said hello to the rest of the Wildcat's that she remembered, and then she and Troy left.

"There's one more person that I want to see if you remember," Troy said, knowing she would remember her.

"Oh, really?" Gabriella said. She ran down the hallway, and stuck her tongue out when Troy caught up with her. "Who is this mystery person?" Gabriella asked, curiously.

"Well, I'll just say…" Troy said, trailing off as he opened the door to the Math/Science lab. Gabriella screamed when she saw who Troy meant.

"GABRIELLA?!" Taylor shouted, running over. "What are you doing here?!"

"I moved back!! I tried to e-mail you, but I couldn't find you screen name!!" Gabriella said, hugging Taylor. Taylor screamed softly, and cried a little.

"I've missed you so much, Gab," Taylor said. The two girls had lost touch a few years back, but recently, Taylor had been calling Gabriella, and they'd been talking. Gabriella had really wanted to surprise Taylor, and Troy hadn't known about it. _It's like he read my mind…_she thought. While Gabriella and Taylor caught up, Troy stood by proudly, happy to have been the one reuniting the friends.

"I'm sorry to break this up, but I've got to steal Gabs away," he said, and pulled Gabriella's arm.

"Sorry, Tay!" Gabriella said, "I'll call you later, though, okay?" she talked louder as Troy pulled her.

"Bye!!" Taylor said, waving.

"Troy, where are we going?!?!" Gabriella giggled.

"Oh, you'll see," Troy commented, sounding a little devilish.

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**Where's Troy taking Gabriella?? Hahaha sorry to leave you with the little cliff hangar. A little hint for the next chapter, we might be able to figure a few things out about a few….certain people. **

**Xox later gatorss!! R & R!!!!!**


	3. Almosts

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 3 of Back Home…I'm not quite sure how this ones going to turn out…but hey, I didn't know what was going to happen with anything I write on FanFiction…so yeah. Have fun reading!!!**

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"Troy, where are we going. Tell me RIGHT NOW, or I'm going to be forced to take drastic measures." Gabriella said, wiggling her fingers at Troy.

"No. NO, NO! GABRIELLA NO, DON'T!" Troy said, pulling out of his parking spot. "DON'T YOU DARE MONTEZ! I MEAN IT!" He yelled. She wiggled her fingers, knowing she had control, and liking it. She slowly tickled under his arm, and he wriggled uncomfortably. "Stop!"

"Not until you tell me, Bolton." She giggled, and tickled him a little more. He laughed and contorted his body in an awkward position.

"Gabby, I'm going to start driving. You'd better stop if you don't want to get into an accident." Troy said in a warning voice. Gabriella just smiled.

"Well then don't go," She warned, and tickled him harder.

"STOP!! GABBY STOPPPP!!!" Troy panted, wriggling and laughing. He got a hold of himself, and grabbed Gabriella's hands, playing a little game of Mercy. "Say it," he said, taunting her with their old game.

"NO!!!" she whined, laughing.

"Say it," Troy said again, with a raised eyebrow.

"FINE. Troy Bolton is the most spectacular, cool, awesome, fantasticalicious, gorgeous, stud man ever." She said. Troy arched his other eyebrow. "WHAT?!"

"The rest?" He questioned, laughing.

"And I'll never be cooler than him." She said quickly, muffling it.

"Ah, that was greatly missed," he sighed. Then he pulled into the parking lot of a sandy playground.

"Oh, Troy this is so sweet!" Gabriella said, recognizing the playground instantly. "Volunteers…" she said, trailing off.

FLASHBACK

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"Come ON Gabby!" an impatient Troy said, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the carousel. _

_"I don't want to go!" she said, giggling. _

_"Yes you do," he urged. _

_"Well…No I don't!" she cried, still laughing. She walked along side Troy glumly, and he smirked at her. _

_"Well then you're going to hate this," he said. The sat on the carousel and he kissed her cheek. _

_"I don't hate it, I just don't like the spinning," she said. She turned to face him, and he kissed her, puckering as far out as his eleven year old lips could pucker. She shrugged, and waggled her head. He waggled his head back. _

_"I don't like kissing," Troy decided, later, as they were pushing each other on the swings. _

_"Me either," she said. Then and there, they made a pact: that they wouldn't kiss unless they were sure it was the person they were going to marry. _

END FLASHBACK

"First," he said, as he led her to the swings. She sat and he dutifully pushed her.

"Only," she said, laughing at him.

"No way," he said, pushing harder.

"Ow, and yes," she replied, rubbing a sore spot on her back. He stopped the swing, and rubbed it too.

"Sorry," he said. He looked down at her, as she looked up at him. "Why we talk like cave men?"

"No idea," she giggled. The swung in comfortable silence for a while, and looked at each other, trying to re-memorize each other. "I really missed you," she sighed, as he pulled her swing closer, and put his arm around her. She felt her spine tingle, but quickly shook the feeling off.

"Yeah, well, I can see why," he said, grinning. She smacked his arm playfully and poked him under the arm. He shrieked in shock, and grabbed his arm. "What I meant was…I think I missed you more," he told her, as she smiled into his eyes.

"There's no way," she said as their eyes locked.

"There's no way you missed me more," he clarified, not ripping from her gaze. They leaned in, not noticing the other doing the same action. "OW." He moaned as their foreheads clicked together.

"Well then," Gabriella blushed, "Why don't we get going…"

"Yeah," Troy said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. They got into Troy's car, and looked at each other. "Why is this awkward, Gabby?"

"The fact that we just almost kissed," Gabriella sighed, "would be enough to make it awkward for anyone…right?"

"I guess…I mean, I think we were just caught up in the moment," he said.

"There's really only one way to find out." Gabriella said. She grabbed his neck gently, but with force, and leaned in to meet his lips.

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**I know, it's SUPER short...but I'll try to update tomorrow...**

**So, what do you think? Sorry it's taken forever, and that it's terribly short...but I just had my last final today, so I'll definitely be updating MUCH more now. Summertime!! xox R&R!!**


	4. My Hair Needs To Be Brushed

**I know, it's been a while :) So let's just get on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical, or anything to do with it, and I don't particularly feel like getting sued, hence this disclaimer ;)**

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"Gabriella, we can't do this..." He said, turning his head so her lips hit his cheek. She looked up at him, wide eyed.

"Why not?" She asked. When he didn't respond, she lifted his chin with her two fingers and stared into his eyes, "Troy, we're best friends…if you can't tell me, then who can you tell?"

"I…I don't want to hurt you, Gabs." Troy said.

"What do you mean you don't want to hurt me?" Gabriella asked. She felt like her world was crashing down. This was Troy Bolton, who she knew everything about. This was Troy Bolton, who had held her hair back for her when she'd thrown up at his ninth birthday party, waiting for her before he'd even cut the cake. This was Troy Bolton, who she had known since before she could remember. This was Troy Bolton, who she loved. Yes, who she loved. Maybe she'd loved him the whole time she'd been in New York…And now he was rejecting her? This could not be happening. Troy sucked in air before starting again.

"When you start school, you'll see…it's just…I have a really bad rep." Troy began. She gave a sarcastic laugh and glared at him. He loved her laugh, even if it wasn't a happy one. He felt like it gave him a reason to wake up in the morning. He felt like _she _gave him a reason to wake up in the morning, but he was the notorious playboy at East High. He knew she'd hear people talking about how he was just in it for action, and with her, he knew it would never be like that. He knew he loved her…she was his Gabriella, which is why he didn't want her to go through the whole situation of girls harping on her and telling her lies. He cared about her too much to let her be hurt like that.

"So… you're protecting me from…you?" She asked her voice sour. "You don't want me to get hurt because of what people _say_ about you?"

"…Yeah." Troy breathed.

"I think you're hurting me more by doing this, Troy. I'm not weak little Gabs anymore…I thought you knew that. You don't know what I went through in New York, I'm a strong girl. You don't understand that I don't listen to what people say…I don't listen to anyone that isn't the source…I wouldn't listen to anyone about you, except for you." Gabriella said, crossing her arms, "But you know what?"

"What?" Troy breathed. He knew that he was doing what was right…or so he thought. He didn't want Gabriella to get hurt when it came to him. He loved her, as more than a friend, but he knew-he just _knew_- that something would get thrown at her that she wouldn't be able to handle. That's why he couldn't kiss her…He didn't want to be able to have her and just let the superficiality of East high to chew her up and spit her out. And if she was linked to him, there was no way that wouldn't happen.

"I guess you're not the same anymore. The old Troy wouldn't let High School _crap_ get in the way of what he wanted…or maybe you're the same, and you just don't want me…Maybe," she sighed, "I just put myself out there and you didn't feel the same." She said, letting a tear fall down her cheek. She paused for a few moments, and then she let out her breath, "Troy I think," her voice cracked a little, "I want you to take me home now."

"Gabby, you have to let me explain this…" Troy began.

"What did you not get from that, Troy? I'd like to go home…Now." Gabriella said bitterly. The ride to Gabriella's was silent and uncomfortable. She got out of the car, mumbling a "Call you tomorrow," before stomping up to the door and slamming it behind her. As she got inside, she leaned up against the door, and slid down, letting everything out. She cried until she shook, feeling betrayed and lost. Her hands shaking, she pulled her RAZR (**don't own**) out of her bag and dialed Taylor.

"Ooh, Gabby, where did he take you?" Taylor answered. When Gabriella didn't answer, just sniffled, Taylor became instantly concerned. "Gabriella Montez, what the hell did he do to you?"

"……I don't exactly know, Tay." Gabriella said, after she had taken a few deep breaths.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes, don't move a muscle." Taylor said, and hung up. Gabriella did as she was told, and sat slumped against the door until she felt someone try to open it. Then she scooted over allowing the door to fully open. Taylor came into the familiar old house, smiling when she saw the black piano still sat in the corner. She then remembered why she was there, looking down at Gabriella, her once best friend. "Oh, Gabby," she sighed, pulling Gabriella up and into a hug, "Gabby whatever went wrong, we can fix it, we can change it and make it all better…Don't cry…"

"You can change people?" Gabriella chuckled bitterly between sobs.

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.

"I mean this," Gabriella said, frowning, "I told Troy."

"Oh, no," Taylor mumbled, thinking of where this was leading.

"I leaned in to kiss him…and he turned his head. He said we couldn't, because he had a bad rep. and he didn't want me to get hurt by what people said about him. He didn't want me to get hurt?! Well than maybe he shouldn't have hurt me himself…" She said, regaining herself slightly, but no sooner slouching back down and crying into Taylor's shoulder.

"Gabby," Taylor said soothingly, "Gabby, he just wanted to protect you."

"Well he's a sucky protector," Gabriella cried, sniffling. "And look at me; I'm a mess over something I never even had."

"Well, it sort of changes everything," Taylor pointed out. "I mean, it sort of changes the whole dynamic of your friendship, doesn't it?"

"…Oh my god. You're right," Gabriella huffed. This…confession of sorts was going to change EVERYTHING she'd worked for years to preserve. Their friendship had been placed in such an awkward position…her feelings were out there, hanging on a thread, and his…well his weren't really, but according to her they were, and they didn't match up. Their feelings didn't walk hand in hand, more like tripping over each other. Gabriella fell back to the floor realizing that the one thing she'd looked forward to when coming back home had been ruined.

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"She won't talk to me, man," Troy said to Chad. "It's been a week, and she hasn't said more than two words to me. She's my best friend." _Or she was, before I let her get away…I can't believe I did that…but it was for her own good…Or was it? _

"That's your own fault, dude. You were the one who totally pushed her away."

"It was for her own good!"

"Her good, or yours?" Chad asked, his voice tart.

"What do you mean, mine? I was protecting her. She would have gotten hurt by all the crap people say about me…" Troy said. He thought they'd gone over this already.

"Dude, our Gabby is a strong one, she'd have been fine as long as you set her straight about all the rumors…" Chad said. He shook his head, knowing Troy had messed up for real.

"Our Gabby?" Troy asked harshly.

"What is she, your property?" Chad asked, rolling his eyes.

"…I guess not," Troy mumbled. Something inside really irked him about Chad calling Gabriella 'theirs'. She was his, and no one else's……or at least she had been until he had so stupidly mad her hate him. He'd tried to call her the next day, hoping she'd forgive him, but all he'd gotten were a few short replies.

FLASHBACK

_"What now?" Gabriella asked, as she looked down at her ringing cell phone. She placed the spoon in her hand into the bowl of ice cream by her lap and picked up the phone, glaring at the caller I.D. when she saw who was calling. "Might as well get this over with," She mumbled, hoping it wouldn't be _too _awkward. She flipped open the phone and placed it to her ear. "Hello?"_

_"Gabby? It's Troy, don't hang up," He said hurriedly. He stopped talking, thinking she'd already disconnected and frowned._

_"Well? You obviously didn't call me to breathe at me, Troy…unless you did, which would be really weird." She said from her end, as he let out a sigh of relief. _

_"Listen, Gabby, you really should know what I meant last night…I just wanted to protect y-"_

_"Uh, Troy, I…I uh, have to go…my……………hair………………needs to be……………brushed." Gabriella lied badly and disconnected. Troy tossed the phone onto the floor and crossed his legs putting his head in his hands._

_"What have I done?" He mumbled as he let a few tears leak down his face._

END FLASHBACK

"You love her, don't you?" Chad asked seriously.

"You want the truth, or the lies I've been telling myself?" Troy grumbled.

"You really, honest to god, love her?"

"No Chad, I'm just mad because Izzy ate the last pop tart."(**don't own either**) Troy growled. "Of course I love her…I miss her to much it hurts, too."

"You sure have a messed up way of showing it," Chad said, smiling.

"Goodbye, Chad." Troy grumbled, hanging up. He decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed his phone, jamming it into his pocket, and put on his sneakers. "Mom, I'm going out." He yelled before walking out the front door. He got into his car, slowly pulling out of the driveway, and then sped to Gabriella's house. He turned off the ignition and twirled the key ring around his finger before making his way up to her front steps. He took a few deep breaths before going up the steps and knocking on the door. "Please answer, please answer, please answer…" he mumbled before the door swung open to reveal Ms…well he'd always called her Ms. Montez, but that had been before the divorce…Now he didn't know what to call her.

"…Can I help you?" she asked, peering at the somewhat familiar boy.

"Uh…Its me, Troy. Troy Bolton…hi, Miss Montez…how are you?"

"Troy!" she said, hugging the boy slightly, "It's been so long, I barely recognized you! And please, call me Anna."

"Anna, then. Um…do you think I could see Gabriella?" Troy asked, hopeful.

"Well, she told me if anyone came over to tell them she was upstairs reading, but…I guess she probably didn't mean you." Anna said, smiling. _She was probably meaning _only_ me, _Troy thought. He smiled gratefully at her as she led him into the front of the house and up the stairs. "You can go ahead; it's the second door on the right, same as always…" Anna smiled. Troy nodded and walked down the hallway. He knocked lightly on the door; there was no response. He knocked a little louder and still got no response. He decided to risk it and just walk inside, hoping she just couldn't hear him and wasn't in the shower or getting changed or something. He slowly cracked the door open, and poked his head in to see her back to the door, her laptop balancing on her bed with portable speakers plugged into the back blasting a song. She sat on the bed, swaying slightly, and then she started to sing. Troy leaned against the door frame, watching the girl of his dreams sing her heart out.

_Only when I stop to think about it_

_I hate everything about you _

_Why do I love you_

_I hate everything about you_

_Why do I love you _

She sang with emotions in her voice, so much emotion that it shook, and he felt like he was going to cry watching her, knowing she loved him and thought that he didn't love her back. He shook his head, thinking of just how wrong she was, how much he had _always _loved her, how much he loved her more now. He sighed, then knocked loudly on the now fully open door. She spun around; rolling her eyes when she saw it was him. "Hi," He managed to get out.

"Hi," She replied coolly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well…I wanted to wish you good luck at school tomorrow…and…I wanted to see you, Gabby. I miss you." Troy said, his voice cracking slightly at the end. She tried to hide the tears welling up in her eyes, but he saw them and went over to her to hug her. She gave in, letting his big arms surround her as she cried into his chest. "Gabs I know it sucks…But…it's for the best for both of us. I just want you to be happy……if you were with me, I don't think you would be."

"I…I don't……" She started to feel anger surge through her, "I think you need to leave."

"Gabby don't do this," Troy started, as she pushed him off of her.

"Troy, didn't you hear me? You need to leave." She said angrily, how did _he _know what would make her happy? What if she wanted to take the risk, what if she didn't care what the stupid people at school said about him? It was just then that Gabriella's mother poked her head in, smiling at the two.

"Troy, will you be staying for dinner?" She asked, smiling brightly. Gabriella wanted to punch the wall, how could she be so smiley while her daughter was having a huge crisis here?!

"Oh, I don't think I can impose like that, Anna," Troy said, shaking his head.

"Oh please, Troy, I'd love it if you'd stay, and I'm sure Gabby would too." Anna said, shooting her daughter a look.

"Yeah, love it," Gabriella said fakely, rolling her eyes.

"I don't think I ca-" Troy began.

"I insist, Troy," Anna said, leaving the two of them alone again.

"So…" Troy began, shoving his hands in his pockets. What had he gotten himself into?

"Listen, Troy," Gabriella began, her heart breaking with each word, "I think if we just sort of stayed out of each others ways tomorrow, it'd be good…I mean, you made it perfectly clear that you didn't want me to get _hurt _from your 'bad rep.'," she said, using air quotes, "So maybe it'd be good if we just stayed a way from each other."

"Gabriella," He said desperately, "I don't want to stay away from you."

"Yeah, well I don't really believe that," she said, putting the music back on. She turned her back and left Troy there to gape at her until Anna called them down for dinner. When she finally did (it had felt like ages), the two walked quickly down the stairs and sat on opposite sides of the table. It was the most awkward thing either of them had ever sat through, and Troy felt like he was drowning. A few minutes after he'd finished poking at his plate, he stood.

"I'm really sorry to eat and run, Anna, but I've got to get home…I, uh, didn't realize how late it was…" Troy said, excusing himself, "I'll see you tomorrow, Gabby. Thanks for the food, Anna."

"Bye Troy," Anna said, waving. As soon as the door clicked shut, her eyes landed on her silent daughter. "What, Gabby, did that boy do?"

"…What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked fakely.

"Gabriella Marie, the tension between the two of you was disgusting," Anna said, taking Troy un-eaten food over to the kitchen counter.

"You can really tell?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes," Anna said, rolling her eyes at her daughter. "Now tell me whyit was there." Gabriella started tearing up mid-story, and Anna came over and hugged her daughter, although she understood why Troy had done what he had. He loved her too, but Gabriella didn't realize that. She'd have to find out on her own, though, because Anna knew she wasn't going to believe it if her mother said it, or anyone else. By the end, Gabriella was full-fledged bawling, so Anna just let her rest her head on her shoulder, not caring if her shirt got wet.

"So," Gabriella sniffled, "What do you think?"

"I think…" Anna began, "I think you should probably let him explain…"

"I don't know, Mom," she said, a skeptical tone to her voice.

"Gabby, you won't be able to move on until you hear what he has to say." Anna said firmly.

"……What if I don't want to move on…" Gabriella thought aloud.

"Well then you're going to have to wait for him…wait for him to realize how strong you are, and see what you can handle." Anna suggested.

"I have to think," Gabriella said, getting up. "But thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, _mi hija_," Anna said, hugging her daughter. Gabriella retreated up to her room, more confused than when she'd first come down.

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**So, what do you think of my big return?? ;) I'll have more up soon…I finally have everything planned for all these stories (Except B.O.M.H, which is…troubling…LOL) so I think I'll be updating faster :) REVIEW!! **


	5. Pick On Gabriella Day : Part One

**A/N: Hi! I told you all that I'd update:) Just so you know, Ryan is a little out of character in this story…he's kind of a pimp :) And Sharpay's nice, cause I can't write her mean…I love that girl. So, let's just cut to the chase…I really don't have much to say :P**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical….doesn't that shock you? **

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_"Gabriella, listen to me," Troy said, running after her. She kept running, she didn't want to hear it. Not now, at least. _

_"Later, Troy. Don't do this now," she said, her feet still going. She really kind of did want to stop and listen to him, but her brain wouldn't get that message down to her feet. _

_"But…Gabby, I really…just please," Troy said, his voice cracking making him sound more desperate than before._

_"I'm trying to stop Troy. I can't," She said desperately. "I-I can't stop running," she wanted him to help her…do whatever he had to, to make it stop. _

_"It's because of me…until you hear it, you're not going to stop running…" Troy said sadly, and stopped. Gabriella turned her head, but her feet kept going, even when she willed them to stop. _

Why did you stop chasing me,_ she thought,_ If I needed to hear it to stop…why didn't you keep trying…_as one tear fell down her cheek and made a soft splash on her shoes, she realized that if she didn't go after it, it may never come back to her. So she turned around, which she didn't know she was able to do, and ran back to Troy. When she got there, he was gone. "Troy?!" she screamed into the distance, "Tro--_BEEP."

Gabriella jolted awake, sighing at the cryptic dream message…she'd be picking at what it meant all day. _Why_ couldn't she stop running? Her feet sort of hurt from even thinking about running that much. She groaned, smacking the 'off/on' button on her iHome (**don't own**) to stop the radio from blaring into her ear (the only way she could wake up, being an extremely heavy sleeper) and sat up in her bed. Today was her first day at East High…and she definitely wasn't happy about it anymore. She got up and pulled a pair of jeans and a cute pink polo out of her dresser and tossed them on her bed. Then, she walked into her attached bathroom and started the shower. After she'd gotten in, letting the hot water slide down her face to cover up her tears, washed her hair and finished up, she got out and toweled off. She rubbed the mirror in a circular pattern, wiping off the steam so she could look at her face. It was still a little blurry, but she saw what she'd always seen from far away. She stepped closer to the mirror, almost pressing her face onto the cool glass, and looked at her face. There was something different about it here, in her mother's house, after everything that had went on in the week. Something she couldn't describe, and was probably the only able to see it…She pushed herself off the counter and dried her hair, leaving it in its natural wavy state, hanging halfway down her back. She applied a little eyeliner, and a coat of lip gloss after she'd brushed her teeth. She went back into her room and changed into the outfit she'd picked, then grabbed the tote bag she'd chosen to use for her books and things, and went down the stairs. Hearing the radio blaring from the kitchen, she figured either her mother was up, which wasn't usual, but not impossible…She poked her head into the kitchen, peering around the cut out in the wall to see her mother dancing around the kitchen…weird. "Mom?" She asked, stepping into full view as her Mother lifted her head from the floor and smiled.

"Morning, _mi hija_," she answered. Gabriella raised her eyebrows, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge.

"…Morning mom…if that's really your name…" she said as her mother laughed.

"What, I can't be happy?"

"…I mean, not that it's not okay, but…since when do you wake up at seven in the morning?" Gabriella asked, laughing at her mother's expression.

"Since today is my girls first day at East High in her junior year and I'm driving her…" she said, smiling at the last part widely. Gabriella smiled. It was everything her father _hadn't_ done, driving her to school, being there when she woke up and went to bed, talking to her about something other than grades…and she liked it.

"Really? Thanks mama," Gabriella said, grabbing the orange juice and an apple, then shutting the fridge.

"Why are you thanking me, Gabby? Isn't this what you always do on the first day?" Her mother asked, as Gabriella snorted.

"Mom, you're already beating Dad in the parenting game by a lot," Gabriella explained, "I think he brought me to school all of once in all those years…you already win…"

"Oh, _mi niña_, I'm sorry…" her mother said, shaking her head. "He was never the best with sentiments…"

"You got that right, Mom…" Gabriella said, biting her apple.

"Hey," her mother said, "Just letting you know, I have to go out of town this weekend. I'm really sorry, I tried to get it canceled because it's only your second week here, but…I just couldn't. If you want, Taylor can stay with you if her parents say it's okay."

"Alright," Gabriella said, thinking of spending the weekend with Taylor and talking about her love for Chad…why, she didn't know, but that guy attracted girls like garbage attracts flies…"What do you think I should say to Troy today? I feel bad for ignoring him so much, not letting him talk to me and everything…what should I do? I'm still kind of mad at him."

"I think you should let him come to you again. Just…wait until he comes to you and then tell him you want to hear what he has to say…" she trailed off, noticing that Gabriella was deep in thought. "You're not going to talk to him, are you?"

"…Nope," Gabriella said, "I think if he wants to explain, he'll find some way to make me want to let him. Done and done." She lightly put her hands on the table.

"Aye, Gabriella…you have the hardest head…even harder than your fathers. When something goes wrong…I'll be here to talk…" her mother said, shaking her head.

"Mom, I'm sure it'll be fine," Gabriella said, sipping the last of her juice. She glanced at the clock, "We have to get going, about five minutes, okay?"

"I'll meet you in the car in five," her mother said, as Gabriella rushed back up the stairs for her shoes and to re-do some of her make up, wanting it to look…well, perfect. About five minutes later, Gabriella raced down the stairs and out the door, an extremely nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew these people…or at least their eleven year old counters, but she did know them. It wasn't like she'd never met any of them, and it wasn't like she didn't have Taylor-who had promised to introduce her to all of her close friends, saying they'd love her- she did. She and Taylor had been hanging out everyday after school, re-learning each other, and it had been fun. They'd barely ever talked about Troy…but wait until she heard the events of last night.

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"So it's her first day?" Chad asked Troy, spinning a basketball on the tip of his finger. They were in the gym before school, practicing for the upcoming championship game, and talking. This was how they opened up…'manly activities with sentiment' was what Taylor (who was Chad's crush, along with good friend) called it.

"Yep," Troy said after shooting a ball. It missed completely, bouncing off the side of the rim and bounding into the empty bleachers, making a hollow _thwonk_ as it hit the red and white painted wood.

"And…with this whole 'awkward dinner' thing last night, you think you're gonna see much of her?" Chad asked, dribbling between his legs.

"…Possibly. Depends on her schedule…which I'd know if I _wasn't_ an idiot… "

"That ship has sailed and sunk, my friend." Chad said, laughing, "Now all you've got is…well…I have no clue. You could grovel."

"I'm not groveling. If she doesn't want to talk to me yet, I'll wait."

"Maybe you should just…try to talk to her one more time." Chad said, trying to be Gabriella in the situation. He knew she always gave in eventually, that was something he remembered. "See if she gives."

"…Maybe." Troy said, carefully examining the surface of a ball.

"You're not going to, are you?"

"…Probably not," he answered, "But you never know."

"You're not going to." Chad concluded. He rolled his eyes as Troy shook his head, chuckling, and shot, only to miss _again_. "Man, you better talk to her, you suck when you're out of it."

"Shut up." Troy laughed, as he jogged to get the lost balls.

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"So, this is your homeroom, Miss Montez." The principal, Mr. Matsui, said smiling. "I'm sure there will be some of your old friends in there, you can find someone you know. We're all very glad to have you back in Albuquerque," the mans face was pinched, as if he'd said those words many times, or tweaked them to say the least, "and seeing your transcripts from back east, it looks like you'll be just fine here."

"Thank you, sir, I'm very glad to be back." Gabriella said, forcing a smile. Mr. Matsui nodded, then held the door open for her, shutting it behind her as she walked into the big room, her eyes widening at the stage adorning the front. "Uhh," she said as she got up to the desk that sat in front of the stage, trying to rouse the woman sitting there clothed in about six different scarves and a large, swishy skirt, "I'm Gabriella Montez."

"Huh?" The woman said, popping up, "Ah, yes, the new student…" she grabbed the papers Gabriella had in her hand, "I'm Ms. Darbus, and well, this is homeroom, and you can grab a seat wherever you like, that isn't taken. It's nice to have you in class, Miss…Montez."

"Thank you," Gabriella returned. She smiled, then turned to see Taylor sniggering at her. 'Shut up,' she mouthed.

"I'm sorry," Taylor said, laughter bubbling out of her, "But that was priceless. You looked like a puppy with it's tail between his legs…"

"Haha very funny," Gabriella said, smiling and taking the seat next to Taylor, "What is this, pick on Gabriella day?"

"Ooh, if it is, I'm in," Gabriella heard next to her. She looked up to see a mass of bushy hair with a smile staring down at her. She immediately squealed delightfully and popped up, engulfing Chad in a hug.

"You're not funny," She said into his shoulder as he laughed and spun her around a little. As he set her down, she looked around, then got on her tip toes to whisper to Chad, figuring he already knew the situation with Troy's blabber mouth. "Where is he?"

"Just talking to coach," Chad whispered back, "He should be here…now…" Chad said. As if on cue, Troy walked into the room, and his eyes widened as he saw Gabriella.

"Uh-ohh," Taylor commented, as Chad took his seat in front of her, laughing at her wide eyed face and 'o' shaped mouth.

"…You're in my seat." Troy said, looking at the floor.

"Oh, sorry Bolton." Gabriella mumbled, about to get up.

"No, it's alright, I'll just take the one up there," Troy said, pointing to a seat in front of Chad, and then moving before she could persist like he knew she would.

"O…kay…" Gabriella said. She was pulled from her thoughts of Troy being sweet as a perky looking blonde walked in, pulling a boy with skin the color of hot chocolate in behind her and giggling.

"Hey Tay!" The girl yelled, and Gabriella knew who it was. Sharpay Evans, and of course, Zeke Baylor (who she knew from the old group of friends she had).

"Oy, Sharpay," Chad groaned, "Talk a little louder and do it a little earlier, please, be my guest."

"I'll be on your lawn at five-thirty tomorrow morning!" she chirped. Gabriella laughed, it was good to see someone genuine, who could make fun of themselves. "You…I know you." She said, pointing to Gabriella. "From…a long time ago, right?"

"Yeah," Zeke said, "It's Gaby, remember? I told you all about it last night?"

"Ohhh! Yeah!" Sharpay said happily, "Welcome back!"

"Thanks," Gabriella said. "And I'll definitely join you on Chad's lawn tomorrow morning," she smiled as Sharpay let out a loud laugh.

"I like this girl, she's got fire." Sharpay said, giggling.

"Hey," Taylor said, changing the subject, "Where's Ryan?"

"My twin, I'm sure you remember the twins, right?" Sharpay asked Gabriella, who nodded, "Well, that's us…Anywhoo, Ryan and Chocolate Chip should be here any minute…"

"I think you should explain the chocolate chip thing to Gaby, she looks confused," Zeke laughed as Gabriella's eyebrows protruded into her hair line.

"Oh, Ryan has this thing with girl friends, new one every week kind of thing, so I decided to name them after ice creams…you know…flavor of the week? This week is Chocolate Chip…cause…she's kind of weird. And she has a lot of freckles…her name is Kristin." Sharpay explained with lots of hand motion. Gabriella laughed, then saw four people headed towards the cluster of desks where she was. One was a medium height dark haired guy, with a short girl in glasses and a hat next to him, and then the other Evans twin, Ryan (it was hard _not _to realize they were twins) and a little blonde girl, presumably Kristin, holding onto him for dear life. Ryan looked disgusted at the girl, and she let go. "Rye, Kristin, Jason, Kelsi, this is Gabriella Montez…she used to go to school with us, up until sixth grade I think…soo, now she's back. She was Troy's best friend…they're still best friends, right?" Gabriella looked to Troy, who was glaring into the back of Sharpay's head. She chuckled, and Troy gave her a half smile. Taylor and Chad watched the exchange between the two, and smiled at each other before answering.

"Yeah," They said in unison. Taylor continued, "They're still the best of friends…"

"Well, that's cool that they stayed close." Kristin coo-ed, looking at Ryan who was making a face as if he'd just seen a giant bug on her face.

"I think we need to talk later, babe," he said, as she smiled, not realizing what was coming next.

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After a few grueling hours of "Hi I'm Gabriella from New York" introductions, it was lunch, and Gabriella was excited to sit and talk with her new found friends, plus Taylor. She walked to the cafeteria smiling, when she heard something behind her. "A little happy, miss Montez?"

"As a matter of fact, Chadwick, I am," she said, seeing the look of fear come across Chad's face.

"I told you don't ever call me that!" Chad cried, "I'll never forgive them for giving me that god awful name!"

"But…at least you can make all the 'Chad is Rad' t-shirts have another meaning…" Gabriella pointed out.

"That_ is_ a good thing," Chad said, smiling. The two walked into the enormous cafeteria and then over to the center table in the back where Sharpay and Taylor were already talking.

"She should totally, don't you think Chad?" Sharpay said, obviously concluding a thought they'd missed out on.

"…Yeeeaaahhh…" Chad said as Gabriella laughed.

"Good then it's settled, this weekend will be Gabriella Montez's 'Welcome Home' party…now…where will we throw it?" Sharpay said, grinning. Gabriella's eyes widened.

"No, no, no, I cant this weekend, my Mom's away on business."

"Perfect! We'll have it at Gabriella's!" Sharpay cried. Gabriella knew already it was no use. She was having a party…crap.

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**A/N: What do you think? So, she's having a welcome home party…what's going to happen with that? I'll update sooner, promise. Next will be ****Why Did You Wait?**** :) R&R xoxo**


	6. Pick On Gabriella Day : Part Two

**A/N: You guys are so lucky. I'm supposed to be asleep :-) Instead, since I slept for **_**hours upon hours**_** this afternoon, I'm updating for you as a Thanksgiving present (For those in the U.S., that is.) :-) Yum yum, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pies :-P Tiny note, the West Albuquerque mall is made up :-) So, this story has FOUR to FIVE more chapters left :-( tear There's a new character introduced in this chapter, who's based on my BESTETST friend ever :-) I won't mention his name, cause even though he'll never read this….I really don't want to ;-) Anywhoo, I hope you like it!…On with chapter six! **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**High School Musical**_**. However, I own Mr. Hot-ness, Jack :-) **

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Gabriella trudged out of her sixth period Pre-Calc class, deep in thought. She was having a _party_. Against her will, mind you, but still. A party. Great…just awesome. She didn't _want_ to have a party, a point she'd made very clear to Taylor and Sharpay, but they didn't care, they weren't the ones who'd get in trouble if her mother found out. Her thoughts had taken over when she felt a shy tap on her shoulder. She jerked her head around, seeing a good looking dark haired boy with intense hazel eyes. He wasn't really her type- he was a little skater looking kid, with tight jeans, long bangs, and over sized skate shoes- but he was cute, and he was smiling at her, so she smiled back. "I'm Jack, Jack Miller," he introduced, "I saw you in Pre-Calc and I totally remembered you, but…I can't seem to think of your name..." he trailed off cutely. She kind of liked the thought of flirting with him…it helped so she wouldn't have to think of the party…which had been helping her take her mind off of the Troy situation.

"I'm Gabriella," she said, a small blush coming to her cheeks, "Gabriella Montez."

"_Yeah_! That's your name…duh. Oh, I'm keeping you…sorry. What's your next class?" He asked, after yelling at himself which Gabriella giggled at.

"I have…" she said, fumbling for her schedule, "I have US 2 with…Clinton."

"Ah," he said, smiling, and using a cute fake British accent, "Well, I'll walk you, I've got US as well."

"Thanks," she laughed, and followed him. They walked a little in silence, before Gabriella piped up, "So, you're really taking Pre-Calc?"

"Well, no," he laughed, "I was just sitting in on the class…"

"Really?" She asked, smiling

"No, but seriously," he said, chuckling, "I'm kind of good at math."

"Same here," she said.

"Well, I bet you couldn't beat me in a competition…" he challenged, smiling at her.

"Really now?" She asked, and he nodded, "I _highly_ doubt you'd beat me. State math champ, three years running," she said, blowing on her curled fingers and rubbing her nails on her shirt. He burst out laughing as he led her down a hallway.

"Well, miss math _champion_," he said, "I guess we're going to have to check out the skills one day, won't we?"

"Maybe we will," she said, blushing. He smirked at her, and led her into a room, sitting in one of the desks. She smiled at him and walked over to the teacher, Mr. Clinton, and explained her situation. He smiled, nodding rapidly and told her to pick any seat she liked. She nodded, thanked him, and flopped down next to Jack. "So," she said, gesturing to all around her, "History…"

"Yes," he said, "it's very historical. Not really my thing…" he laughed.

"Mine either," she giggled.

"You're very…different, Gabriella Montez." He said, studying her closely.

"As are you, Jack Miller," she smiled. Suddenly, the late bell rang, pulling both teens from their thoughts, and snapped to attention when Mr. Clinton began calling attendance. After about half the period was over, Gabriella just as confused as ever, she saw a small, folded piece of paper land on her desk. She unfolded it and began to read.

_So, Gabriella Montez, what are you doing this weekend? I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me. :-)_

Gabriella smiled, knowing she had really, only two options. She could either lie and said she had plans, or she could invite him to the party. She knew if she took him Sharpay and Taylor would be pleased, but would she? She looked over to Jack, who was looking at her with raised eyebrows. She smiled and began to scribble on the paper.

_Well, I do have plans…my friends decided that I'm having a party. You…could come, if you wanted:-)(-:_

She watched Jacks mouth curl into a smile as he read the note and began to respond.

_That'd be cool. You could call me with directions to your house, right:-)_

She read the note, contemplating what would be the best way to answer, then decided to write her cell phone number. After she wrote the number, she added: _That's my cell number. Call me on Saturday and I'll get you directions, since I'm a little rusty on them myself. :-P_

He smiled, reading the note, and before she knew it, the period was over and he'd quietly and un-noticeably slipped out of the room. She sighed to herself, hoping she'd just made the right choice, and wondering if she'd just…made a date.

Well, wouldn't that be a predicament and a half?

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Gabriella grabbed Taylor's arm and dragged her into the girl's bathroom after seventh period. Luckily, both girls had eighth period free, because the bell was about to ring, and if they'd had a class that was really a class, it would've been bad. Taylor, squealing quietly and glaring at Gabriella, settled against the cool tile wall after Gabby had let go of her arm. "Yes, Montez?"

"…I think I have a date for my party." Gabriella breathed, a little scared.

"……What?!" Taylor exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowing. She held up one finger, then pulled out her phone, quickly texting Sharpay (who also had study hall, but was spending it in the drama room, working on her next production) to come to the main floor girls room. "Hang on, Gabs, this is an Evans moment. We need the queen bee here for this one." Gabriella rolled her eyes at Taylor.

"I'm having a _major_ problem here, and all you're thinking about is Sharpa-" Gabriella began, smiling a little, when Sharpay burst through the door, breathing heavily from the run she must have just taken.

"I'm here. What is it?" Sharpay panted, "I ran here _all _the way from the upstairs music room. I was practicing with Kelsi, instead of running the lines with Sam."

"Gabriella has a date." Taylor breathed. "Gabriella has a date with…" Taylor stopped and turned to Gabby, "Who do you have a date with?"

"Did you tell her about everything?!" Gabriella asked, not knowing weather she was mad at Taylor or not. She decided for now, she wasn't.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter, she would have found out anyway." Taylor said quickly as Sharpay sunk to the floor next to the two girls and smiled.

"Don't worry, Gabby, you can trust me. I'm your friend." Sharpay said, smiling at her. Gabriella sighed.

"Some kid named Jack Miller…he was pretty cu--"

"Jack! He is _such_ a cutie! I love that kid, he's super sweet!" Sharpay gushed. Taylor glared at her. "I mean…he's okay. If you like that kind of guy…"

"Wait…what about Troy?" Taylor asked, knowing Gabriella definitely wasn't over Troy, after all, it had only been a little over a week. And they had exchanged that little smile that morning.

"Seriously, pick on Gabriella day? Of course there's still…Troy, but…well, I figured maybe Jack--" Gabriella began, being interrupted by Sharpay.

"Who's _super_ adorable," Sharpay added.

"-who's super adorable," Gabriella put in, "would help me take my mind off him. It's not like I'm going to marry the kid, Taylor."

"Yeah," Taylor mumbled, "that's cause you'll probably end up married to Troy. "

"Tay!" Gabby squealed, blushing ominously, "Stop! You're so annoying."

"Seriously, Tay, it's like…well, as Gabby said, it's so totally pick on Gabriella day," Sharpay giggled at her. She got up, helping Gabriella up and hugging her. "I think it's perfectly fine that you asked Jack to the party…and I think you'll most definitely end up married to Troy." She said smiling at the end. Gabriella whacked her shoulder lightly, and Sharpay faked pain. They were _already _those kind of friends, "Oh, and we need to go shopping for the party, cause…for every new party, everyone needs to get a new party outfit…"

"…I think that's just you, Shar. But, I'll go, how about you Gabs?" Taylor laughed.

"Yeah, I'm in. I'll call my Mom after school and let her know where I'm going….where _am_ I going?" Gabriella said, her laughter bubbling out at the end.

"Oh…we'll go to a couple cute little boutiques…it'll be fun." Sharpay said, smiling.

"Actually, guys, we could just leave now, we do have a free period…and I have my car." Taylor said, smiling at her smart-ness. Gabriella shrugged, pulling out her phone and calling her mother. It was going to be a long afternoon.

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Troy stumbled a bit as he walked out of his eighth period Algebra 2 class after the last bell had rung. He'd fallen asleep about half way through the class, but luckily he sat in the back, so the teacher hadn't caught him. He'd dreamed of Gabriella, something _totally_ new to him…not. In the dream, they'd been sitting on a porch, swinging back and forth, him stroking her hair, and her resting her head on his shoulder, sighing contently every once in a while. After a few minutes of just sitting there, she'd moved her head and smiled up at him. "I love you," she'd breathed.

"I love you too," he'd said, kissing her forehead.

And then the bell had rung. He'd jolted awake, getting a glare from Chad, who was sitting next to him, Chad was surprisingly concerned about school work, solely so that he could remain on the basketball team, and keep starting as a guard. Chad bounded out of the room, walking up next to Troy and clapping him on the back. "If you keep thinking about her, you're never going to get up the nerve to go talk to her. You're gonna just totally over think it, and its gonna get worse and worse, and you're just going to…explode."

"Very eloquently put, Chad." Troy grumbled, putting his hands over his face.

"You," he said, running a hand over his puff of hair, "are a kook." The two went towards the gym, but were stopped by a panicked coach Bolton.

"Troy," he said, "have you seen Izzy?"

"…No, I haven't seen her all day…I thought she stayed home today?" Troy said, a confused look crossing his face.

"She wasn't supposed to," his father grumbled, "Do me a favor and call off practice, I have to go ground your sister."

"Ooh, Izzy Bolton living life on the edge…what a little creep." Chad said, smiling. Troy and Jack glared at him, then Troy nodded and Jack patted his back, and fled, jogging out the doors of the school. Troy led Chad into the gym, telling the already-changed boys practice was off, and turned back to Chad, who looked at him intently.

"Want to go to the mall and get some food?" Chad asked, "I'm freaking _starving_."

"Yeah, I guess," Troy answered, "And you're always starving."

"I'm not," Chad said, glaring at Troy as they walked outside, "_always_ starving."

"…Yes you are." Troy finished, "I'll meet you at the mall," he said, then got into his car and revved the engine before driving out of the parking lot.

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Troy got out of his car, not seeing Chad's anywhere, and walked into the food court entrance of the West Albuquerque Mall. He walked over to the set up of empty tables. It was an odd time to be at the mall, so it was pretty empty for other than the people who were working there. He sat down at one of the two-top tables, and waited for Chad to arrive. A few minutes later, Troy saw a big bushy mass of hair enter underneath Chad enter the empty lobby. "Hey man," he said as he approached, "Woah, isn't that Tay and Shar?" he asked, pointing over to a pretzel stand, where a girl with dark skin and a blond were chatting amicably to the vendor. Troy groaned, looking to Chad.

"Save me." He said into his hands. Chad chuckled, and waved to the girls as they turned around. The two bounded over, giggling.

"Hey," Taylor greeted, hugging Chad.

"Hi boys," Sharpay smiled.

"So, what are you girls up to? Where's Gabby?" Chad asked, laughing quietly.

"Well, Gabby is in the dressing room at Muse, we just came to get some drinks while she tries on dresses for her party," Sharpay said, "Oh my god, are you guys coming?"

"What party?" Troy asked, confusion glinting in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. We haven't really announced it yet, but Gabby is having a party, planned by us, so…you guys should come," Sharpay said, giggling.

"Oh," _she's so pissed, most definitely,_ Troy thought, "yeah, I'll come." _Maybe then I'll be able to talk to her…_

"Yeah, I'll be there too," Chad smiled.

"Cool," Taylor said. She gestured towards the rest of the store, "'We're gonna head back to Gabby, so we'll talk to you later."

"Alright," Chad said, "bye."

"Bye guys," Sharpay said, and Troy waved. The two girls left and headed back to Muse to find Gabriella.

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"This one's pretty," Gabriella mumbled to herself, twirling around in the dressing room of Muse in a white, knee length spaghetti strap empire waist dress with a flowered pattern around the bottom. She held her hair up with one arm and looked at the linen material falling around her olive, Mediterranean skin. It looked good on her petite frame, and it would look even better with her hair done and makeup fixed.

"Which one?" she heard from outside the door, and jumped a little.

"Don't scare me like that you crazy girl," she smiled as she opened the door, "and this is the one I like."

"Gabriella Montez," Sharpay said, smiling, "you look absolutely _gorgeous._"

"You think?" Gabriella asked giddily.

"Definitely," Taylor said, handing Gabriella a bottle of water, "we're buying it, hands down."

"…Alright," Gabby smiled, clapping and spinning around. She retreated to the dressing room and changing back into her normal clothes. She watched as Taylor and Sharpay tried on their dresses, Taylor settling on a yellow knee length baby doll dress that accentuated her dark skin and eyes, and Sharpay picking out a red, slinky cocktail dress that bagged in the front and scooped in the back, making her look even more gorgeous than she normally did. The three girls paid for their dresses and headed out of the store, each excited for a different reason. Taylor, for hanging out with Chad on Saturday and trying to get Troy and Gabriella together, Sharpay for having a party to plan, and Gabriella for her little date with Jack…even though deep down she felt a little guilty. It wasn't like she was _with_ Troy, but she was still in love with him majorly, and she still wanted to be with him. She kind of thought she was leading Jack on a little bit…but she'd clear it up at the party, or tomorrow when she saw him. Her first day of school had gone pretty well, if she said so herself…

For the first time that day, she was pretty excited for the weekend.

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**A/N: So, there's the chapter. :-) I hope you guys liked it, and you're excited for the party, which will be taking place for the next two-three chapters :-) I'm pretty sure there's actually five more chapters left, three for the party and then two for after…if I get the party done in two, then there'll be four left :-) Alrighty, that's really it. The next to be updated will be ****Why Did You Wait?****, and hopefully everyone who has been asking about that one will be happy! Please review and let me know if you liked it, they're much appreciated!**

**XO**

**GC**

**:-)**


	7. You Love Everything

**A/N: Updating, I like it :) This is the party, part 1! Party, party! I love to write party chapters, it's so much fun :) So, I really don't have anything to say…except…here's chapter seven! **

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**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**High School Musical**_**, but Jack is my bestest friend ever :) Don't you want him:P**

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It was Friday afternoon as Gabriella stood at the front door, rolling her eyes at her overly worried Mother as her two friend's giggled antsy-ly behind her. Once her Mother left, they'd be setting up for the party "Gabriella" (a.k.a. Taylor and Sharpay) was throwing. The only thing Gabriella was really happy about was Jack coming, because he seemed like a cool kid. "_Mi hija,_ you're sure you three will be fine? You two, your parents know you're here, right?"

"Yes, Mom," the three answered simultaneously, making Anna smile.

"Alright then, my favorite girls," Anna smiled, and Sharpay laughed, considering she'd only met the woman two days before, "have a good time…but not _too_ much of a good time, okay? I'll call you later. Love you," she said, and waved before getting into her car and driving off.

"I _love_ your mother. She's so cool," Sharpay gushed. Gabriella rolled her eyes, Sharpay was always gushing about something, she'd quickly discovered. She pretended to hate it, but honestly it was something that made Sharpay…well, Sharpay.

"You _love_ everything, Shar. I mean, really…is there anything you hate?" Gabriella laughed.

"I hate that we aren't setting up yet," Sharpay stated, then walked over to the staircase and grabbed some shopping bags, emptying their contents onto the wood coffee table. Gabriella rolled her eyes, but began to grab some of the plastic bowls and head to the kitchen. Suddenly, she couldn't wait until she could crawl into her bed and go to sleep. She sighed, ripping open the first bag of chips and dumping it into the bowl, it was going to be a long night…

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"Yes, Mama, everything is just fine……" Gabriella droned, standing on the front porch. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure it wasn't _too_ out of hand yet. People had started arriving around 8:30. It was now 10, and there were still people filtering in through the door. She noticed her Mom's voice continuing on about the view from the hotel, but she wasn't paying attention. Suddenly, she heard the hint of a question at the end of her mother's voice. "Sorry, Mama, I zoned out. Listen, I'm really tired. I think I'm just going to head off to bed and leave Taylor and Sharpay to finish up the movie we're watching, okay?"

"Alright, _Mi hija_, I'll talk to you tomorrow?" Her mother said, and Gabriella reassured her. As they hung up, Gabriella sighed and turned back around as she heard giggling coming from the side of the house. She didn't even want to know, so she walked back inside, a wave of loud techno hitting her as she opened the door. She ran a hand through her hair, which she'd left casually down in its normal curly state. She was wearing the dress that the three had picked out at the mall, which fit like a dream. She was thinking about keeping it on for all eternity, even though she felt a little over dressed. Sharpay had waved a hand at her, saying that it was her party; she could look as dressy as she wanted to. The outfit ended with a pair of black flats, as to not over kill the outfit. Her make up was light, except for the eyeliner, which was black and heavy. Other than that, all she had on was some light blush and lip gloss. She had to admit, she looked good. She walked over to the kitchen, which was full of people filtering in and out. Someone had brought beer an hour or so before, she wasn't sure who, so people were pretty much crowding around the large keg, placed in a large icy bucket. She rolled her eyes, drinking wasn't really her thing, but she didn't care one way or another if other people did it. She walked out of the kitchen, into the living room. She was looking for Sharpay or Taylor, if she could find one of them it'd be good.

She walked through her living room, barely recognizing it. The furniture was pushed back, and the couch cushions were scattered across the floor haphazardly. As she walked through, she felt a tap on her arm, and snapped her head around. What she saw made her smile. "Hey!" She greeted, grinning, "You made it!" Jack stood up, hands in his pockets, smiling slyly.

"Yeah, here I am…" he said smoothly, "wild party, huh?" he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Ha ha," she droned, "I didn't actually expect it to be like this…but then again, they say to expect the unexpected, right?"

"That's true…" he said, smiling at her. She smiled back, and grabbed his hand, "you want to go out back? I can't breathe in here…and we can't talk."

"Sure…" he said. She smiled reassuringly at him, and then walked through the kitchen. She stopped dead, Jack nearly plowing into her. "What's the matter?"

"Um…" She started, "n-nothing." Her mouth went completely dry, her face paled, her hand- which had been clutching Jack's- dropped down, flopping next to her side heavily. "Let's…let's go back, okay?" Jack looked at her confusedly, and then scanned the room. Barely anyone was in the kitchen, only a few people standing near the counter, two guys and a girl. He shook his head, confused beyond belief. "Actually, why don't you just meet me back in there, I'm just going to grab some water."

"…Okay, I'll see you in a few," He said, an odd tone to his voice. He backed out of the kitchen, settling in the living room. Gabriella walked over to the counter, frowning. She'd moved past the point of shock and was going into anger mode. She tapped one of the boys hard on the shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" She asked coldly. The boy whirled around, as did the girl and the other boy. The first boys face paled, his eyes becoming dark.

"…I was invited…" he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Gabriella grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the girl and guy, to the other side of the kitchen.

"What the _hell_, Troy? _I_ definitely didn't invite you. This is my house, my party…I didn't say you could be here." She snapped. She couldn't fathom the fact that he was standing in front of her, in _her_ house, at HER party.

"Sharpay and Taylor invited me…" Troy mumbled. He looked at the floor, which bothered her. She wanted him to see how furious she was, not just hear it. Even in her angered state, she managed to make a mental note to kill Sharpay and Taylor later.

"I can_not_ believe this…I just honestly cannot believe this…Even _if_ they invited you, why would you even come?! You knew I wouldn't want you here." She said her tone even and angry. She honestly just didn't know what she wanted…if it was him to stay or to go…but now she had to act like she didn't want him there, just because of her surprised reaction. She inwardly groaned…she'd have to call him tomorrow to clear this up…or at least _think_ about calling him.

"Gabriella," he started, and she winced. He barely ever called her 'Gabriella'. "Gabby, I'm sorry…I'll go if you wa-"

"Who is she?" Gabriella asked in a near whisper. She hadn't meant for it to come out, but there it was. Troy looked surprised, and scratched his neck out of habit.

"…Oh, her?" Troy asked, and Gabriella nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Um…well, that was my friend Dan…she's his gi-"

"Save it, Troy. I get it…you came to my house…and you brought a date." She gulped. She couldn't breathe. Her head was foggy, and she felt dizzy. "I…I've gotta go. Have a good time, okay." She said, ending with a tone of finality in her voice. She turned as the tears welled up in her eyes, and bolted up the carpeted staircase, throwing open her door. Two people were heatedly making out on her bed, and she blushed. The two jumped apart from each other, looking embarrassed. "You guys can do that…just not in my house," Gabriella stated, her voice shaking. The two walked out of her room, and she shut the door and locked it, then threw herself onto her bed. She could _not_ believe it. What an ass! He'd brought another girl to her house, to _her_ party…what was that? Didn't he even have any common courtesy? Well…it wasn't like she was his ex-girlfriend or anything, but…still. She was his…best friend who was secretly in love with him, even though it wasn't actually a secret anymore, and technically, she wasn't really sure on their best friend status at the moment. But still, it was them, and they were just…well, they were the way they were. And even if it couldn't be put into words, it was just obvious.

What if she was over reacting, though? What if he was about to tell her how that girl wasn't with him, but with that other guy who was with them? Well, he actually was in the midst of telling her that, she realized, but what if he was actually telling the truth? What if the hesitation on his part was just him being surprised? She shook her head into her pillow. Too many thoughts were spinning through her already spinning mind. It wasn't like she could stay here in her room; either…she had to get back to…Jack. Oh god, she was doing the exact same thing he was, wasn't she? Jack was her pity date…the guy she'd asked to come with her to make Troy jealous…not that she'd know he'd be there, but still, someone would tell him about it, right? Was that what she'd been thinking when she said yes? Or had it just been her attraction to him? Sure, he was cute and all, but still, she knew you couldn't get over loving someone, the way she loved Troy, in less than a week. Jack was just her friend…but was that girl _just_ Troy's friend? Or was she…his date? Girlfriend? Hook up buddy? Argh, the sheer thought of Troy having a "hook up buddy" not even a week after everything made her want to rip all her hair out. She sighed, he _had_ said that whole "notorious playboy" dribble, but she figured he was exaggerating at least a little. Obviously not…obviously to him, she was still only his little best friend.

Downstairs, Troy stood dumbfounded. The girl he was with- Madison Abrams- _was_ his friend Dan's (from the basketball team) ex-soon-to-be-present- girlfriend. He was trying to ask her out again, but he was a little scared, so he'd asked Troy to hang out with them for a little while. Troy had reluctantly said yes. He had wanted to find Gabriella and talk to her, and he hadn't wanted it to go like that. She'd seemed extremely upset, and he hated to see her like that. The best friend instinct he had said to go upstairs and comfort her, though he doubted she'd be pleased to see him at the moment, being that he was the source of her discomfort. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, thinking hard. Suddenly, Sharpay burst through the swinging door of the kitchen, giggling loudly. She saw Troy, though she was oblivious to his distress at the moment, she smiled up at him, and wordlessly squeezed his middle. "Having fun?" She asked. Her face was flushed, but she wasn't drunk. She looked a little sweaty, disheveled, and he figured that she'd been dancing, probably with Zeke. Troy mumbled something snide incoherently, looking down with raised eyebrows at the short blonde girl now standing at the kitchen sink with a glass, the faucet running. She finished filling the glass, and turned around after shutting off the faucet, finally seeing Troy's distress. "What happened to you?"

"Gabby…she knows I'm here…and she wasn't exactly thrilled to see me. Actually, that'd be the understatement of the century. She was pissed beyond all belief," Troy explained. Sharpay looked at him softly.

"Really? I'm so sorry, Troy…I mean, I understand why she's mad at you…you're an idiot, but still, what did she say?" Sharpay said, getting more interested. She slid herself onto the granite countertop and crossed her ankles, one over the other, getting comfortable to talk. She sipped her water while eyeballing Troy, urging him to continue. Troy sighed, but re-opened his mouth.

"The basic point of it? She thought that Dan, from the basketball team?" Troy started, as Sharpay nodded, signaling she knew the boy in question, "Well, he's been trying to get back with his ex, Madison, for like a month. He asked me to come along with them, not to mention give them a ride, just so he wouldn't act like a retard in the car with her. Anyway, she thought that Madison was my date…but that wasn't even the big thing. She was just so surprised and mad that I was even in her house…and she said something that I wasn't invited…I thought you said she'd be fine, Shar…"

"I honestly didn't think she'd be that mad…I thought she'd be mad at us, but not at you…" Sharpay mused, slouching further over to inspect something stuck in the sole of her slipped off shoe.

"I guess it didn't help that I hesitated about Madison, though…right?" Troy said, a frown appearing on his face.

"Not in the slightest, you bone head…" Sharpay growled, "Listen to me, Bolton. You've got to find a way to make it up to her…you love her, right?"

"…Yeah, I do," he admitted, smiling a little. "I love her."

"Well…did you guys ever fight when you were younger?" she asked, hoping he said yes. She had an idea.

"…Well, yeah. Not too much, but we definitely did every once in a while." He answered after thinking a moment.

"I've got an idea, Bolton." She said, a smile playing on her lips. She poked her finger at me, and then cocked it towards her, gesturing for him to come over there. "Pull up a chair, you'll probably need it." Troy pulled over a chair, listening to Sharpay talk vividly. He grinned, and then he knew. Tonight was the night. He grabbed Sharpay off the counter, as she squealed in surprise while he hugged her. "Put me down, you doof!" She squeaked. He set her on the floor, grinning wildly, "I'm assuming you like the plan?"

"I think it's just insane enough to work." He grinned, then turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen, and out the front door.

**A/N: So, Sharpay has a plan…I actually just added that little bit, because the way I originally had it wasn't as fun to write :) **

**I'll be updating WDYW next, then WWB :) And don't worry; I'll update this soon, since it's sort of a cliffy ;)**

**If you haven't yet, read the first chapter of my new Gossip Girl story! I won't be updating it much; it'll be for when I need to clear my head :) **

**Review please!! **

**XOXO, Cher :)**


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